backstage at the center - Columbia College Chicago

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backstage at the center
T h e Da n c e C e n t e r o f C o l u m b i a C o l l e g e C h i c ag o • Vo l . 9 N o. 2 • s p r i n g 2 0 0 9
Delfos Danza
Contemporánea
April 2, 3 & 4
Sennichimae Blue Sky Dance Club by Ayako Abe
3 Cutting-Edge
Japanese Dance
5Exquisite Practice
16Choreography as Oracle:
The Works of Delfos Danza
Contemporánea
8A Wise Perspective
on Retrospective
19 Teaching and Training:
Spotlight on Guest Artists
13 David Roussève/REALITY:
A Taste of the Bittersweet
Japan Dance Now
February 5, 6 & 7 * 8:00 p.m.
The Seldoms
February 19 & 20 * 8:00 p.m.
February 21 * 7:00 p.m. TIMNEWE!
Mordine & Company Dance Theater
February 26, 27 & 28 * 8:00 p.m.
David Roussève/REALITY
March 12, 13 & 14 * 8:00 p.m.
Delfos Danza Contemporánea
April 2, 3 & 4 * 8:00 p.m.
Saudade, David Roussève/REALITY by Jorge Vismara
Spring 2009
Mordine & Company Dance Theater by Cheryl Mann
WHAT’S INSIDE
Backstage at The Center is published by The Dance Center of Columbia College
Chicago to inform our patrons about upcoming performances and activities.
Its contents may not be reproduced without written permission. We welcome
your letters and comments. Please write to Ligia Himebaugh, Backstage at The
Center, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, 1306 S. Michigan Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60605 or e-mail at [email protected].
Front Cover Delfos Danza Contemporánea by Lois Greenfield
Programs of The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago are supported in part by Alphawood Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, Arts Midwest, Elizabeth F. Cheney
Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Irving Harris Foundation, The Mayer & Morris Kaplan Family Foundation, The Japan Foundation and the New England Foundation for the Arts. Additional funding is provided
by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council. Special thanks to Friends of The Dance Center and Newcity.
Delfos Danza Contemporánea by Lois Greenfield
For tickets
call (312) 369–6600
or visit colum.edu/dancecenter
Cutting-Edge
Japanese Dance
3
Coffee, Nibroll by Nobutaka Sato
During the past decade or so, The Dance
Center has maintained a commitment to
providing opportunities for audiences to
experience contemporary dance from Japan
with artists and companies such as Akira Kasai,
Rosy co., Kota Yamazaki, Eiko and Koma, and
Noism. This February, we continue the tradition
with Japan Dance Now, a shared program with
three cutting-edge companies in a single evening.
Exquisite
Practice
The Dance Center’s presentation of Japan Dance Now is
funded in part by the Japan Foundation through the Performing
Arts JAPAN program and the Illinois Arts Council. Special
thanks to the Consulate General of Japan, Chicago.
Japan Dance Now
February 5, 6 & 7 * 8:00 p.m.
Other Events
feb
02
mon
For tickets
call 312 369 6600 or visit
colum.edu/dancecenter
DanceMasters Class led by Akadama
of Sennichimae Blue Sky Dance Club
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Chicago Cultural Center
77 E. Randolph (at Michigan Avenue)
feb
03
TUE
Blue Sky Black Monk
6:30 p.m.
Experimental Station
6100 S. Blackstone Ave., Chicago
Free and open to the public
Japan’s Sennichimae Blue Sky Dance
Club meets Chicago’s Black Monks
of Mississippi in a multicultural
collaborative performance
feb
05
thu
4
Based in Osaka, Sennichimae Blue Sky
Dance Club is an all-female company directed
by male choreographer Akadama. Akadama,
who was greatly influenced by Tatsumi
Hijikata, the progenitor of butoh, infuses
Hijikata’s “dance of darkness” with an urban,
pop sensibility. For Japan Dance Now, the
company brings The end of Water (2006). The
piece for five dancers is structured in a series
of vignettes presenting multiple images of
femininity in pursuit of beauty and humor.
Yoko Higashino, director of BABY-Q, brings
her solo E/G - Ego Geometria (2007) to Japan
Dance Now. Higashino conceived the solo as
a collaboration with one of three musicians
and a video artist. Each performance is
different depending on the venue and
specific musician. At The Dance Center she
will perform to improvised guitar and selfdesigned electronics by Toshio Kajiwara, a
sound performance artist currently based
in Tokyo after 20 years in New York City.
BABY-Q’s visual director, Yohei Saito (a.k.a.
Rokapenis), will create a videoscape specific
to this performance. ■
Post-Performance Discussion
Free and open to ticket holders
Carrie Hanson by William Frederking
BABY-Q, by Banri
By Carrie Hanson
Nibroll is a collective of art directors based
in Tokyo whose core group of collaborators
work in movement, media, sound, visual
art and costuming. Founded in 1997 by
choreographer Mikuni Yahaihara, Nibroll
also produces films, has a fashion label —
Nibroll About Street — and a music label
called Nibroll Technique. The company
has toured the world with engagements
in Paris, Amsterdam, New Delhi, Bangkok,
Avignon, Dusseldorf, Bergen and Hamburg.
Their first U.S. tour was in 2001 and their
New York premiere occurred in 2003.
Six dancers from Nibroll will perform
an excerpt of Coffee (2002) for Japan
Dance Now. The piece examines obscure
boundaries we crossed without ever
really knowing; for example, the first
time we drank coffee crossing a sort of
boundary into adulthood. The dancers’
characteristic pedestrian movements and
familiar acts trigger inner explosions of
aggressive behavior. Bodies suddenly snap
and explode after feelings of continuous
repressed stress.
5
Photos (LR)
Thrift, choreography by Carrie Hanson, by William Frederking
Triggers, choreography by Liz Burritt, by Dan Merlo
Whiff of Anarchy, choreography by Darrell Jones, by Dan Merlo
Monument, choreography by Carrie Hanson, by William Frederking
The Seldoms
February 19 & 20 * 8:00 p.m.
February 21 * 7:00 p.m. TINEMWE!
Special Events
FEB
21
SAT
The Seldoms’ After-Party
at Underground
56 W. Illinois St.
9:00 – 11:00 p.m.
The Seldoms host a special postperformance benefit featuring the work
of local fashion designers that have been
important collaborators — Lara Miller,
Abigail Glaum-Lathbury, Moire Conroy and
Anke Loh. The designs will be presented
in a runway-style fashion show. Food and
cocktails provided, DJ spins live.
Sponsored by Rockit Ranch Productions.
Tickets: $75
Includes price of admission for Saturday night performance
Other Events
By Carrie Hanson,
Artistic Director of The Seldoms
FEB
11
For our return engagement to The Dance Center,
The Seldoms will be presenting three new works by
three Chicago choreographers — 3x3. This season
marks the first time that the company has invited
guest choreographers, and the dancers and I have
benefited tremendously from spending time with
these artists. In watching both Liz Burritt and Darrell
Jones at work, I witness an exquisite practice of play
with ideas and movement.
Liz Burritt is that rare kind of person whose
own abundant talent may be exceeded by
her ability to nurture and coax brilliance from
other artists. Coming in occasionally to view
the making of Triggers, I saw The Seldoms
break through performance habits, work
without inhibition and deliver compelling,
idiosyncratic material. (And humorous — Liz’s
sense of humor and her long collaboration
with San Francisco choreographer Joe
Goode ensures a dance work that includes
an element of humor — if dark!) Liz’s own
personality and her choreographic methods
ignite dancing that is both nuanced and
packed with information.
6
Darrell Jones is a marvel to watch move,
but it’s even more absorbing to observe
him in his creative process. More than any
choreographer I’ve seen, he accesses his
body as his primary source of experience,
sensation and knowledge. I have often stood
by in rehearsal, waiting and watching him
consider some way to direct us — it literally
looks as if he descends deeper into his own
physicality, retrieving some vital memory or
image. The potency of Darrell’s artistry stems
directly from his profound and immediate
occupancy in his body. The combination of
this with his extensive research — Darrell
surrounded himself and us with photographs,
WED
video, stories and histories about protest
and riot — informed his new dance, Whiff of
Anarchy, with the personal and the collective,
the historic and contemporary viewpoints. For
the many hours that we were in the studio with
Darrell this past summer, we were immersed
in a set of issues and questions. And after
exiting the studio, we were still living with
them. That kind of creative process, one that
changes your perceptions and interactions in
the everyday world is what we chase.
For my own new project, I have the honor
of working with an exceptional dancer, Paige
Cunningham. The degree of facility and
fluency of her dancing is part inspiration, part
instrumentation for this new work. Thrift is a
dance about economy where effort and yield
are points of interest, and different meanings
of the term “economy” sit in opposition to
one another. The project includes a sort
of etymological analysis, inspired by my
realization that I think about the concept of
economy a lot, but I tune out complicated
economic news reports and understand only
the specifics of my own household economy.
I have a long-running interest in economy
as practiced in dance and movement. As the
concept is used within the field of dance,
it is about moving with efficiency, minimal
muscular effort, and spatial intention/
clarity, with the ultimate goal of simplicity.
This principle is one of the main thrusts of
my work in the studio and teaching in the
classroom, and the term “economy” could
be considered part of the vernacular of
contemporary dance. In Thrift, I’m considering
that vernacular definition in relation to
definitions employed in other spaces.
The value of dancing economically can
be stated in terms also used in the field
of economics: effort, yield, productivity and
sustainability. Smart dancers minimize effort
and maximize yield; we hone technical skill
in order to sustain our careers. All physical
disciplines train the body toward such
efficiency, and techniques are methodologies
to create more physical capacity and virtuosity.
Years ago I saw the great French jazz
violinist Stephan Grappelli play at Orchestra
Hall. In his 80s, he arrived on stage in a
wheelchair and he appeared frail and small
in that large concert hall. His playing, though,
was full of virtuosity and vigor and not in any
way compromised. Any limitations caused
by age were erased by his artistry and his
enormous technical prowess. This is the
most profound example of technique and
fluency that I have witnessed.
Half Mr. Grappelli’s age at that
performance (but twice that of my Dance
Center students), I am still working to improve
my technique and dance economically, where
more comes from less. At a time when most
of us are thinking about spending less and
the allocation of our resources, a notion about
economy as synonymous with simplicity might
be both appealing and useful. It seems that
numerous shifts are underway to move us
from more to less as a confluence of situations
(environment and global economy) require a
shift in thinking and acting.
Undoubtedly this equation has been
influencing me, as a recent project —
Monument — was concerned with consumption,
waste and landfills. In the end, Thrift will
probably be a more abstract dance work than
Monument, but it does share similar concerns,
thus making me realize how art-making in one’s
life moves along on a continuum of curiosities
and responses. As I push The Seldoms through
its seventh year, I hope to be both extending
that continuum and shading in the line a little
thicker. That reminds me of something that
Bonnie Brooks, The Dance Center chair, once
told me with regards to longevity — “it’s about
an idea. Stick with the idea.”
Finally, I look at the present company and
our collaborators and note how many Dance
Center grads and faculty are at work to bring
these dances to the stage. It is evidence of
the fine work that we are doing in training
dance artists and of the huge talent that lies
within this program. ■
Art & Democracy Series:
Whiff of Anarchy
Movement Workshop with
Darrell Jones
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
800 S. Halsted St., Chicago
For more information or to RSVP
call 312.413.5353
Free and open to the public
FEB
21
SAT
FamilyDance Matinee
3:00 p.m.
Free Adult/Child Movement
Workshop begins at 2:15 p.m.
For tickets
call 312 369 6600 or visit
colum.edu/dancecenter
Carrie Hanson
is the Artistic Director of The Seldoms
and is an adjunct faculty member at
The Dance Center.
The Seldoms’ performances at The Dance Center are
funded in part by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
and the Illinois Arts Council.
7
so
n
ive 4
rsa 0th
ry
Se
a
An
n
A Wise Perspective on
By Heather Hartley
Recently I had the opportunity to sit
down with Mordine & Company Dance
Theater Artistic Director and Dance Center
founder Shirley Mordine to reflect on the
importance of her company’s celebration
of its 40th Anniversary.
LOOKING BACK
generous spirit, Shirley has created a program
A time for reflection is often punctuated by
that is much like a three-dimensional time
that she and the company are thinking about
create an intimate real-time portrait of soloist
laughter, a fond smile of remembrance and,
capsule and invited several companies and
the extraordinary challenges all of us face
Scott Putman. Shirley delights in exploring
at moments, a tinge of sorrow. We met at
dance artists, all of whom are either Mordine &
on a global level, let alone those we need
what’s possible when dance is augmented
Company alumni or have a strong connection to
to address in our own country. Mordine
by cutting-edge tools and approaches to
afternoon looking at photos from some of
the company, to remount some signature works
laughs, and quips, “Small subject, huh?! I
performance that challenge how we think.
her favorite dances. I was struck by the
from the past four decades.
like to start with questions: What have we
in contemplating the future, Shirley is
enormity of the history and how this one
The retrospective portion of the
learned from the past? What can we imagine
intrigued with how dance can make more
woman has touched so many lives in the
program includes:
or dream for the future? What can we learn
meaningful use of the Internet. She is
dance community; the sheer number of
»» Early Being, a solo from 1988 performed by
from the kinetic experience of stillness, being
currently exploring ways to create a dance
in the moment — not moving backward or
via her website, with certain sections of the
forward in time? I think this kind of kinetic
choreography being informed by feedback to
journey explored in the realm of theatre is
her blog*.
dancers who have gone on to create their
own companies, teach and move the art
form forward speaks volumes. As we rifled
To mark this occasion, the company will perform three decade-spanning concerts on The Dance
would pause and tell a story behind some
Center stage in February, including the remount of several signature works from the company’s
of them. There were shots of exuberant
history. The company will also host a Gala concert on Saturday, February 28, in which Shirley will
dancers in rehearsal in the '70s, of benefits
return to the stage in Silver Lining, a solo from 1981.
and fancy dresses in the '90s and several
from the rooftops. But she is also fiercely contemporary, not one given to wispy sentimentality,
and she has her finger squarely on the pulse of what’s happening right now. According to Shirley,
8
ReSound, she utilized live video feed to
Shirley’s house in Evanston and spent the
through images going back to 1969, Shirley
Shirley acknowledges that this milestone is a true landmark, a reason to shout “Hurrah!”
In making Illuminations, Shirley shared
Mary Wohl Hahn
»» “I haven’t heard from you…” (2003)
performed by Same Planet Different World
»» Three Women (1974), performed by The
Dance COLEctive
»» Songspiel (1980), set to Kurt Weill’s music,
performed by Mordine & Company dancers
where the art of dance provides the most
meaningful and shared experience.”
The journey she will take audiences on is
It’s nearly impossible to capture how
Mordine & Company Dance Theater has
influenced the contemporary dance world.
sure to be intriguing.
Shirley Mordine truly is a progenitor, a leader
and a creative force. I had an amazing time
bittersweet images of those who were lost to
WHAT’S NOW
WHAT’S NEXT
sharing the afternoon with her. On the next
AIDS in the '80s.
Shirley is currently in the studio working on
Shirley has a sharp intellect, a broad smile
few pages are highlights of that afternoon
remounting Songspiel (see a rehearsal video
and a keen sense of humor — qualities that
and Shirley’s comments as we strolled down
memory lane.
In thinking about the significance of being
“It’s important to pause, respect and celebrate what has gone before this moment in time. But
the longest running contemporary dance
at Mordine.org) and creating Illuminations,
have served her well during her tremendous
simultaneously, I’m already looking to the future, to what is still ahead of me. That unknown,
company in the Midwest — 40 years of
which will be set to the music of Steve
dance career. She is also completely unafraid
that responsibility to keep creating, is incredibly exciting to me.” She firmly believes that the
making dances, mentoring choreographers
Reich (part 1) and Shawn Decker (part 2).
of technology. She’s been working with video
* Contribute your thoughts and read more of
importance of the past is what you learn for the future. In keeping with this credo, the program at
and sustaining a company — Shirley tends
Decker will create an interactive sound and
projections since 1989; in her 2001 work,
Shirley’s intriguing ideas about the creative
The Dance Center will also feature a world premiere, Illuminations, which will provocatively explore
toward modesty and is quick to give kudos
visual score for The Dance Center space in
Truth Spin, she used computer-fed lasers
process at mordine.org/blog.cfm
the theme of memory versus hope, the tension between moving forward and backward through
to former dancers and collaborators as a
collaboration with designers John Boesche
throughout the performance space to trigger
time, and how one action in a single moment can affect all that follows.
source of inspiration over the years. In this
and Kevin Rechner.
sections of the sound score, and in 2003’s
Photos (LR)
Shirley Mordine prepares backstage; M&CDT rehearsal 1992; Richard Woodbury and Carol Bobrow in rehearsal, 1979; Voix Deoiseaux, 1989;
Sheridan Road 1976 by Charles Osgood; Songspiel, 1984 by William Tennant
9
Photo captions by Shirely Mordine
MORDINE
Scrapbook
RSVP 1970
“Starting out as a company, this was the second
Tongues 1972
“Ah, yes. The man in the middle of the photo is Jim Self. He went on to dance
Silver Lining 1981
Songspiel 1982
“This is from the ‘Cartoon’ series. I will perform this
“This piece will be remounted for the February concert at
major theatre work. We stuffed our costumes
with Merce Cunningham for several years and taught at Cornell. The other thing
at our Gala. It’s quite sad, poignant and funny. An
The Dance Center. And Songspiel is one of my favorites.
dancers. The title comes from the medieval cartographers’
with newspaper and interviewed each other. This
I remember about this photo is that the photographer would only eat octopus.
old showgirl with hope for the future. Hummmm.”
The choreography simply spilled out of me. It’s set in an
designation for the end of the known world. It was
is Christine Jones who went on to dance with
That’s right. Octopus. Over time you meet some interesting folks when you work
Photo by Richard Klein
atmosphere inspired by the cabaret culture of post WWI.
performed in silence, which was enhanced by the physical
Urban Bush Women.”
in the arts for 40 years.”
Pictured: Shirley Mordine
It plays on the tension that occurs between sexes during
play of the body falling — into the unknown — the body
Photo by Robert Schiller
Photo by Robert Schiller
times of extreme militarism. It’s very theatrical.”
weight falling through space. With Tim O’Slynne, Brian
Pictured: Christine Jones
Pictured: the company
Photo by Charles Osgood
went on to found XSight! Performance Group. Brian now
Pictured: Mary Wohl Haan, Paula Frasz, Shirley Mordine,
teaches in Anchorage, Alaska.”
Jennifer Sohn-Quinn
Photo by Charles Osgood
Pictured: Brian Jeffrey
Butterfly 1987
Three Men in Spite of Themselves 1987
Choreography by Murray Louis
“This one was a satire, as were all the ‘Cartoon’ pieces,
“Murray Louis choreographed this piece for me.
Raw Deal 1987
“Not being from Chicago, I decided to read about its history. I
Delicate Prey 1989
“Carl Jeffries was a beautiful dancer. We performed this
Five Ecstatic Dances 1989
“I created this piece during the time my brother
on male stereotypes. It got quite a reaction from the
read a lot of Studs Terkel and Nelson Algren, plus I really admire
piece at the World Expo in Australia. Carl danced with Alwin
was dying. It was set in five sections. The
Costumed to resemble an insect, I went through an
audience. Midway through the piece, the three male
jazz music, especially some of the early, historical works.”
Nikolais in New York and is now working with Laurie Gaux in
movement was at once expansive, estatic and
evolutionary journey much like one, and finished as a
dancers paused upstage and pantomimed urinating
Photo by Charles Osgood
their own company on the South Side.”
intimate. It was what I was feeling at the time.”
dashing presence of a damselle. The piece was lots of
(with their backs to the audience). My mother asked,
Pictured: the company
Photo by John Weinstein
Photo by John Weinstein
Pictured: Timothy Veach, Jennifer Sohn-Quinn, Carl Jeffries
Pictured: Daniel Weltner, Carl Jeffries
fun, and a generous gift from Murray."
‘Have you no shame, Shirley!’”
Photo by Charles Osgood
Photo by John Weinstein
Pictured: Shirley Mordine
Pictured: Chris Clark, Tim O’Slynne, Richard Woodbury
10
Where There Be Dragons 1986
“This was the time of an especially talented group of
11
February 26, 27 & 28 * 8:00 p.m.
Special Event
FEB
28
SAT
Post-Performance
Gala Concert
careening on the edge and there’s no one at the wheel.’
The company celebrates its 40th with a Gala
concert on Saturday, February 28. In addition
to the other selection of works, the Gala
program also features Silver Lining, a solo
from 1981 performed by Ms. Mordine. Gala
guests will be invited to celebrate with the
company following the performance in The
Dance Center’s third floor studio, with food,
drink and live music, all in a festive ruby
anniversary atmosphere.
around the DuBuffet sculpture in front of the State
I wanted to reveal the scale of human experience from
Gala tickets: $140
of Illinois building. I loved seeing the crowd gather,
our most naive state to the technological challenges of
Includes price of admission for Saturday night performance
filled with people who were taking a pause from
our time. It was an evening-length work ending with the
their day to experience what we were doing.”
exquisite interactive video work of Mirek Rogala.”
Photo by Robert Lieberman
Photo by William Frederking
Pictured: Scott Putman, Ann Boyd, Laurie Goux,
Pictured: Jenna Hunt and Pam McNeil
Subject to Change 1991
Edge Mode 1993
“This was a really important event in the company’s
“This started from a line in a poem by Dos Passos: ‘We’re
history, a large-scale site-specific work built on and
Carl Jeffries, Sabine Parzer, Mark Schulze,
Anthony Gongora
Other Events
FEB
26
THU
FEB
27
FRI
Post-Performance Discussion
Free and open to ticket holders
Pre-Performance Talk
with Shirley Mordine
7:00 p.m.
Saudade, David Roussève/REALITY by Jorge Vismara
Mordine & Company
Dance Theater
David
Roussève/
REALITY:
A Taste of the
Bittersweet
By Jill Chukerman
Free and open to ticket holders
FEB
28
SAT
FamilyDance Matinee
3:00 p.m.
Free Adult/Child Movement
Workshop begins at 2:15 p.m.
For tickets
call 312 369 6600 or visit
colum.edu/dancecenter
Heather Hartley
is an arts marketing consultant in Chicago.
In addition to working with clients such as
Mordine & Company Dance Theater, Heather
is also the project director for the Chicago
“I haven’t heard from you…” 2003
Dancemakers Forum.
“I created this piece in 2003, in response to President
Bush’s plans to invade Iraq. For the life of me, I couldn’t
figure out why we were going to war. Like Beckett’s
Waiting for Godot, I found myself asking: ‘Will someone
show up and make some sense of this?’”
Photo by William Frederking
The Dance Center’s presentation of Mordine & Company
Dance Theater is funded in part by The Richard H.
Driehaus Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council.
Pictured: the company
12
13
What was the inspiration behind Saudade?
African, Indonesian and Indian dance). Lastly,
Saudade is the final in a series of three
there is quite a bit of wild and eccentric
works that explores the word “bittersweet”
humor in the piece; but as the work reflects
as a single moment in time when one can
life, it does not shy away from the grit and
experience the greatest of joy and agony
together. The piece is also a statement on
Saudade is a roller coaster of emotional
highs and lows.
“understood” so much as simply lived.
Other Events
MAR
extremes. The series radiates from my
of life when ultimately they cannot be
March 12, 13 & 14 * 8:00 p.m.
“hardness” of life. Like much of my work,
contemporary life as a series of colliding
desire to understand the complications
David Roussève/
REALITY
Can you talk about your history with The
09
MON
Dance Center? What are some of the
reasons you’ve continued this relationship?
Saudade, David Roussève/REALITY by Jorge Vismara
My company has a long history of performing
David Roussève/REALITY, founded in 1989 by David Roussève, is
an ethnically and artistically diverse troupe acclaimed for its highly
original form of expressionistic dance theatre that blends elements
of dance and performance art with African-American traditional
and pop cultures. Roussève’s newest evening-length dancetheatre work, Saudade, is an ode to the idea of “bittersweet,”
unfolding through stories written and performed by Roussève
chronicling the bittersweet history of African Americans in the
Southern U.S. The piece features a sound score of traditional and
contemporary Portuguese Fado music and an international cast
including practitioners of South Asian, Indonesian, West African and
postmodern movement forms. Backstage recently interviewed David
Rousseve about his newest work.
14
How does the music play a role?
at The Dance Center, dating back to my
Portuguese Fado is quintessentially
first major work, Urban Scenes/Creole
bittersweet. It is glorious music that is filled
Dreams, which The Dance Center co-
with both the heartbreak and ecstasy of
commissioned. Since then, my major works
DanceMasters Class
led by David Roussève
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Chicago Cultural Center
Dance Studio
77 E. Randolph
love. On a subtextual level, where the deep
have all been presented by The Dance
emotions of the work’s elements can be
Center. I have also taught in The Dance
found, there is a strong connection between
Center’s summer program. I am utterly
the music, text and dancing. It is as if all
thrilled to be returning. The Dance Center
these elements celebrate life while also
has consistently given me some of the best
Art & Democracy Series:
Freedom of Speech and
Movement Acts Movement
Workshop with Taisha Pagget
of the David Rousseve/REALITY
Dance Company
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
800 S. Halsted St., Chicago
For more information or to RSVP
call 312.413.5353
acknowledging the grit that comes with
community interactions of any presenter I
Free and open to the public
it. So the music is providing an emotional
have worked with. Coming back means I am
terrain that brings the work’s deeper themes
able to conduct an “ongoing conversation”
to the surface.
with The Dance Center and its audience. As
MAR
12
THU
MAR
Post-Performance
Discussion
THU
Free and open to ticket holders
MAR
Friends of
The Dance Center
Post-Performance Party
12
our lives move forward in a mind-bogglingly
What are some of the guiding philosophies
complicated time, it is “grounding” to return
of REALITY?
to a community like yours to continue a long,
The work of REALITY is interdisciplinary and
long-standing dialogue.
14
SAT
Open to Friends of The Dance Center
strongly multicultural, even as it is grounded
in communicating about life specifically
What makes performing in Chicago
through the stories of southern African
different/special?
Americans. The bottom line of my work for
At the risk of sounding insincere, I have to
REALITY is human communication. Above
gush: I absolutely love performing in Chicago!
For tickets
call 312 369 6600 or visit
colum.edu/dancecenter
all, I want to communicate with a range
As a city, to me Chicago is the most “livable”
of audience members on the level of the
of all the large cities. It is sophisticated and
human heart. I am speaking to the audience
yet “down home.” It balances a magnificent
through African-American characters, but
skyline with parks and lakes. There are
the plight of the characters — I hope — is
world-class museums and performing arts,
Communications, which provides
engaged with the deeper human condition.
and, from what I can tell, the city has a
communications to The Dance Center
healthy respect for the contemporary arts,
and other Chicago-area performing
What can audiences expect or anticipate
which is important to me personally. Chicago
arts organizations.
when attending the performance?
audiences are among the favorite that I
A “gumbo” of text, projected video, Fado
have ever performed for; they are often as
music and postmodern and world dance. The
diverse as the themes of my work and I am
elements are only related on the subtextual
inspired to the core when I can speak to a
or emotional level, so there is a complicated
diverse audience. Chicago audiences also
and sometimes subtle interaction between
appreciate being engaged. If nothing else,
them. In many ways the text — a collection
my work is grounded in a deep sense that
of character monologues by Southerners
it has “something to say.” This demands
from differing time periods — provides the
a deep engagement from the audience.
spine of the piece, and audiences will hear
Chicago audiences have always been willing
several character monologues. The dance I
to take the journey with me. It is as if they
am quite proud of, as we combine modern/
appreciate the ways that the work remains
postmodern forms with world dance forms
socially engaged and the ways it attempts to
(the performers practice a range of world
converse on the levels of both the mind and
forms including traditional forms of West
the heart. ■
Jill Chukerman
is the owner/principal of JAC
The Dance Center’s presentation of David Rousséve/
REALITY is funded in part by the Performing Arts
Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the
National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that
a great nation deserves great art, with additional
contributions from the Illinois Arts Council, General
Mills Foundation and Land O’Lakes Foundation.
Additional funding is provided by the New England
Foundation for the Arts, with lead funding from Doris
Duke Charitable Trust and additional funding from The
Ford Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, JP
Morgan Chase Foundation and MetLife Foundation.
15
Choreography as Oracle:
The Works of
Delfos Danza Contemporánea
By Alycia Scott
In 1992, Mexican choreographers and
to speak to yourself. First you need to be
accomplished dancers, Victor Manuel Ruiz
in touch with yourself before you can be in
choreographed by Claudia Lavista to
and Claudia Lavista founded Delfos Danza
touch with anybody else.” Delfos’ touch is
music by Meredith Monk, a man seeks to
Contemporánea. That same year, the company
aggressive, yet intimate and gentle. Wrapped
discover the energy and impulses inside
was awarded first prize in the National
in a physical prowess that is at once
of him that move him and inform his
Contemporary Dance Contest of Mexico. Six
technically fierce and vulnerably human, to
years later, Delfos was invited to relocate from
experience the company’s work is to become
Mexico City to Mazatlán, Mexico to become
closer to personal and shared aspects of
My Skin), choreographed by Xitlali Piña
the resident dance company of the Angela
human nature.
to music by Michael Gordon, Piña uses
Peralta Theater, and founded the Mazatlán
decisions.
3. In La Frontera de Mi Piel (The Borders of
four dancers to represent the different
Professional School of Contemporary Dance,
present the Midwest premiere of Rincones
characters within herself. The dancers
now considered to be one of the best schools
de Luz (Corners of Light), a program of
flail against the divisive uncertainty
for professional dance studies in Mexico and
five works choreographed by four different
that looms in the presence of making
Latin America. Internationally known, students
choreographers. Each piece presents a
decisions, yet they persistently grasp at
from across the globe come to the school.
corner of light within the choreographer’s
and dancers’ imaginations and personal
the ephemeral to unite as one.
4. When you die, where do you go? In Entre
professionally and academically, is a belief
experience, like a labyrinth of human
Sueños y Flores (Between Dreams and
in dance as a medium of discovery and
emotion vaporized in suggestive and dreamy
Flowers), choreographed by Víctor Manuel
choreography as a process likened to that of
atmospheres. The dances, as poetry, are
Ruiz to music by Meredith Monk, Thomas
consulting an oracle. Claudia Lavista explains,
woven with movement, light, words and sound.
Tallis, John O´Conor, J. S. Bach and
“Choreographing for us is like consulting
As a guide to the soul threshold of each piece
Sulfur, four men in limbo, not knowing
an oracle that reveals new answers. It also
in Rincones de Luz, Claudia Lavista offered
they are dead, establish relationships
reveals new questions. It deals with the
reflections on each of the works:
and endure many circumstances in
eternal game of recognizing oneself and the
rest of humanity through a mirror of water that
connects us to the interior world.”
Delfos Danza Contemporánea by Lois Greenfield
2. In Solo y Mi Alma (Alone and My Soul),
At The Dance Center, the company will
At the core of Delfos’ work, both
16
Alone and My Soul, Delfos Danza Contemporánea by Lois Greenfield
Nestled in the southern slopes of Mount
Parnassos in Greece rests a site renowned
throughout the ancient Greek world. Delphi is
the site of the Pythian Apollo sanctuary where,
from approximately 1400 B.C. to 381 A.D., the
ancient Greek oracle Pythia was found serving
as a medium for those who made the journey
to receive Apollo’s prophetic visions. People
then traveled long distances to more deeply
understand themselves, their relations to others
and the future. This site, its history and purpose
led to the name and mission of one of the most
important dance companies in Latin America,
Delfos Danza Contemporánea.
Delfos works closely together year-round,
attempts to figure out where they are. In
1. In Nissi Dominus, choreographed by Omar
Carrum to music by Antonio Vivaldi,
Carrum wanted to be connected to
the end, they find their death amidst new
illuminating discoveries.
5. Bolero, choreographed by Claudia
in support of deepening their internal dialogue,
each dancer’s soul, delving deep into
Lavista and Víctor Manuel Ruiz, and set
their encounters with each other and the
their psyches to understand them as
to Maurice Ravel's music of the same
exchange with audiences that experience their
passageways to different emotional
name, is a work that builds and escalates
provocative language of dance. Lavista adds,
states and ages of people, searching for
until it explodes with the complexity
“In order to speak to someone, first you have
a confession.
and crescendo of the musical score. It
17
April 2, 3 & 4 * 8:00 p.m.
Other Events
MAR
31
TUE
DanceMasters Class
led by Claudia Lavista
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Lou Conte Dance Studio at the
Hubbard Street Dance Center
1147 W. Jackson
APR
Post-Performance
Discussion
THU
Free and open to ticket holders
APR
Complimentary
Post-Performance
Reception
02
03
FRI
Jenny Way Rawe and Tom Rawe in Twyla Tharp's Count Dances
Bolero, Delfos Danza Contemporánea by Martin Gavica
Delfos Danza
Contemporánea
Teaching and
Training:
Spotlight on Guest Artists
The Dance Center’s nationally respected academic program features a
faculty comprising of working dancers, choreographers, dance educators,
producers and scholars, with substantial credentials and experience
locally, nationally and internationally. The regular full and part-time faculty
is enhanced by nationally recognized visiting teachers and choreographers,
whose participation in the program brings broader perspective and diversity
of training content to the student experience. Recent guest teachers
include Liz Burritt, Joe Goode, Gesel Mason, Tere O’Connor, Eiko and
Koma, Kathleen Hermesdorf and Erica Wilson-Perkins.
Jennifer Way Rawe, who danced with Twyla Tharp Dance for more
than a decade joins the list of guest choreographers for the Spring 2009
semester. Ms. Way Rawe will set a historical and signature Tharp work, The
Fugue, on The Dance Center’s Repertory Performance Workshop students.
Backstage recently interviewed Jenny about her upcoming time at The
Dance Center.
Open to ticket holders
APR
04
SAT
FamilyDance Matinee
3:00 p.m.
Free Adult/Child Movement
Workshop begins at 2:15 p.m.
For tickets
call 312 369 6600 or visit
colum.edu/dancecenter
Alycia Scott
is the community outreach
and education manager at
The Dance Center.
reflects the human struggle to throw off
through their work. The company’s deep-
burdens that constrain, as well as the
seated belief in art as an oracle propels
exhilaration within the realizations and
the aesthetic, energy and prowess of their
triumphs of this endeavor.
work into a realm of experience that is
eloquent in its interpretations of human
Delfos’ interest in emotions, individual
essence and provocative in its imaginative
obsessions and unusual encounters
choreography. In hopes of provoking a new
in day-to-day life provide fodder for the
embrace of existence, Delfos magnifies the
expressive and articulate body language
communicative power of art and the body to
the company is known for in the dance
reveal the infinite capacity of expression and
world. From Mexico and Europe to South
invites audiences to do the same. ■
America, Southeast Asia and the United
States, Delfos continues to invite audiences
to enter an intimate and reflective space
The Dance Center’s presentation of Delfos Danza
Contemporánea is funded in part by the Illinois
Arts Council. Special thanks to the Consulate
General of Mexico, Chicago.
Tell us about your history and time
with Twyla Tharp.
What is your relationship with The Fugue?
Did you perform in the original cast?
How do you maintain Tharp's aesthetic
while working with students?
I was first exposed to Twyla Tharp and her
company in 1972, when I was an undergrad at
The Ohio State University Department of Dance.
I participated in a one-day residency with the
company, a marathon of a day, consisting of
a lecture/demonstration, master class, open
rehearsal and an informal performance. It was an
amazing day! I had never seen dancers work so
long and hard.
I then attended two Tharp Summer workshops
at American University in Washington D.C., and
finally auditioned for and joined the company
in 1975. During the next 10 years, I performed
in pieces for stage and film, participated in
lecture/demonstrations, gave interviews, taught
master classes, and assisted Twyla in projects
for American Ballet Theatre, NYC Ballet, and the
Broadway production of Singin’ in the Rain.
I took some time off in 1985 to start a family
with my husband Tom Rawe, who was also a
member of the company. We returned to dance
with the company in 1986 and toured extensively
for the next two years.
After the company disbanded in 1988,
I reconstructed The Fugue and Sue’s Leg for
Hubbard Street Dance Company with fellow
dancer Rose Marie Wright.
I was not an original cast member of The Fugue,
but I was intrigued with the dance since learning
a portion of it as a student at the American
University Tharp workshop. I learned the piece
in its entirety after joining the company and
performed in the piece for nearly two years.
The Fugue, choreographed in 1970, is a trio
and was originally created for and performed by
women (Twyla Tharp, Sarah Rudner and Rose
Marie Wright). A mixed cast then briefly performed
it before it was finally turned over to an all-male
cast in the mid-'70s. During my time with the
company, I taught, rehearsed and coached The
Fugue as part of the company’s active repertory.
And since leaving the company in 1988, I
continue to teach and coach this dance and other
Tharp repertory at various colleges, schools and
private studios to this day.
The piece itself represents Twyla’s aesthetic. I
hope that I help to maintain that aesthetic by
maintaining an honest approach to the movement
and by being as thorough as possible when
teaching and coaching the dance.
What does it mean to you to be acting in
Tharp's place when restaging her work?
I don’t feel that I am acting in Twyla’s place,
because I am not the choreographer, but I do feel
that I can represent the dancer’s perspective when
restaging the work. I hope to give the dancers an
idea of the working process that I experienced
while working with the Tharp Company.
What do you feel is the significance of
bringing this rich and important historical
work to students at The Dance Center?
The Fugue is a wonderful dance for students to
learn because it teaches them so much about
composition and their own development as
dancers. Dance Center students will be able
to study Twyla’s early choreographic process,
which was, and still is, very unique. Twyla was,
in the late '60s and early '70s, beginning to
develop her process for making dances. She
used many choreographic devices, such as
theme and variation, to develop material and
construct/structure the work, and she relied on
her dancers to develop and maintain that work
(time to rehearse was also a very important factor
in developing Twyla’s material). Dance Center
students will, with time and hard work, become
fuller richer dancers.
Photo provided by Jenny Way Rawe
Jennifer Way Rawe was a member of Twyla Tharp Dance from 1975 to 1988. During this time, Ms. Way Rawe performed
throughout the United States, Europe, South America, Japan and Australia. Ms. Way Rawe has been a reconstructionist of Tharp's work
for Hubbard Street Dance Company, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Dancewave's Kid's Company, Sarah Lawrence College and Marymount
Manhattan College. Additionally, she taught and coordinated numerous workshops and master classes for the Tharp Company.
Ms. Way Rawe received her B.F.A. from Ohio State University and has studied with Jean Way, Duard Farquhar, Richard Thomas, Barbara
Fallis, Merce Cunningham, Viola Farber, Dan Wagoner and Maggie Black.
18
19
backstage at the center
The dance center of Columbia Coll ege C hicag o
1306 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605
col um. ed u/da n cecenter
buy tickets to three or
more shows and save 20%
Call 312 369 6600 or v isit colum .edu /dancecenter
Japan Dance Now
BABY-Q by Yoshikazu Inoue
February 5, 6 & 7
thedancecenter